Pages

Jack's Place Steakhouse and Restaurant at Ang Mo Kio brings back fond childhood memories of extended family meals and post-exam celebrations.

I can still remember mini me snuggling up next to my parents in the air-conditioned restaurant, watching on with bright-eyes as they helped me cut my steak into little kid-friendly chewable bits. I recall how I would always eagerly wait for my ice-cream dessert, and savour it with a grin like the Cheshire cat.

After so many years down the road, setting my eyes on the familiar green-and-white checkered table tops again felt incredibly nostalgic.

As we went for a late lunch that weekend, we had the entire restaurant almost to ourselves, and the service from their staff was amazingly attentive.

During the Christmas season, Jack's Place had a few Festive Promotions. A meal would include soup of the day, a main, dessert and a choice of coffee or tea. The deal was way too good to be true.

First up, we had Broccoli Soup with Tempura. Despite the specks of broccoli present, the creamy soup was surprisingly tasty. The crunchy tempura was the perfect topping. A few of us upgraded our soup to the Cream of Mushroom soup but I actually found the broccoli soup more appealing.

We ordered an extra appetiser, The New Jack's Cheese Fondue Sampler Platter ($16), complete with tempura, fried mushrooms coated with crispy batter, chicken mid wings, and onion rings. It tasted as amazing as it looked. I especially loved the smooth, melted cheese fondue.

Chicken Steak with Chipotle Sausage Skewer ($19.90+)

I ordered the N.Z. Ribeye Steak with Tempura Gyoza ($19.90+), medium rare. The juicy slab of steak came served on a sizzling hotplate, topped with a cute little tempura gyoza. The doneness of the steak was just right, tender yet sufficiently chewy. The piping hot, buttery baked potato, topped with mayonnaise, spring onions and chicken bacon bits was just as good as I had remembered it to be. The greens at the side of the dish was a thoughtful addition, to appease the health-conscious consumers, I suppose. :)

Though it might not seem like a big portion, the dish was surprisingly filling.

When the Chocolate Panna Cotta with Berries Compote was served with our tea, I was totally stuffed. Thank goodness the panna cotta was in a mini cup. I have to say I'm still not a fan of panna cotta... (Honestly I have no love for Starbuck's Panna Cotta drinks too.)

I am impressed by Jack's Place's awesome service standards and quality food (especially the steaks). Thank you for being a part of my childhood, and remaining as one of my go-to places for future family meals.

*If you are a frequent patron, you would gain more by signing up for their membership card, with rebates and promotional offers.

Singapore's biggest yuletide fair, Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay, returned again this year, with gorgeous Italian Luminarie light sculptures, fairgrounds with rides and games, an indoor ice skating rink, a snow playground, and a European-styled festive market with pop-up stores selling popular street food with the likes of Churros.

I was late to the party for I went only after Christmas, but better late than never.

The night was lit up by the brilliant lights.

Speakers all around were blasting Christmas carols.

Every few steps, people stopped to snap pictures of the magnificent light sculptures

Though it was post-Christmas, the crowd was still insane. Bodies pressed up against one another, and heat radiating off from the mass of people all around you.

After ducking under the nth selfie-pod that night, I managed to get some spectacular photos of the Spalliera and the Cassa Armonica (illuminated gazebo)

Performances were ongoing when I finally made my way into the middle of the crowd (of course, with much struggling).

Blizzard Time at 9pm.

It was magical. If not for the tropical weather and the hordes of people all around, I could almost pretend that I was in Winter Wonderland. The "snow" (it's just foam) floated daintily into the air and landed gently on the hair and clothes of the people all around. I tried my best to prevent myself from breathing in or accidentally ingesting the white specks while talking but I suppose a guy beside me wasn't that lucky. He ended up sneezing and coughing pretty badly.

The indoor skating rink and snow playground was tiny and way too crowded. Skip.

The carousel was a pretty ride. Once again, the queue was insane. Pass.

This was an interesting photo-taking scene. People get to lie down on the background and the photographers would then take a picture of the reflection. It was free, so obviously the queues would be long too.

Check out the quaint little wooden huts/ pop-up stalls. Doesn't this remind you of English wooden cabins?

The Kitchen Table, with its open kitchens, warm-hued furniture and amazing quayside view creates a comfortable ambience.

Upon entering, you'll be greeted by friendly servers.

The beverages and cookies selection are right beside the entrance.

Pastries and breads. It was interesting watching the chef prepare mini pancakes on the spot. The fragrance of freshly-baked delights was heavenly!

Smiley pancake with maple syrup!

For the health-conscious, there are fresh greens, cheese, greek yogurt and various toppings for you to create your own customised salads/ yogurt mix. There are even cute little glass bottles of fresh milk and soy milk.

Open kitchen concepts would mean that you get to see the chefs cooking the food and replenishing the trays on the spot. Their service at the live station was fantastic, just that the omelettes were slightly bland (nothing a slight sprinkle of salt from the table can't fix). I was hoping for cheesy omelettes but I guess not all breakfast buffets provide that choice.

At the Noodle Bar, it follows a similar concept like Yong Tau Foo stalls. You get to select your own ingredients (meatballs, fish balls and vegetables), noodles, and gravy (Chicken soup and laksa were the two choices that morning), and the chef will whip up the bowl of noodles for you.

Porridge choices and bamboo steamers filled with dim sum are located at the Noodle Bar too. I thought that their Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) were nice, with pretty translucent skin and fresh juicy chunks of shrimp filling. That day, they only had two choices of Har Gow and Char Siu Buns for dim sum.

I got myself a bowl of Laksa, with fresh tender fish balls and a delectable gravy! It was a pity they did not have the signature chilli and specks of laksa leaves normally served together with Laksa.

Service, ambience and taste-wise, it was a satisfactory breakfast. However, I would be more impressed if there were more variety in the cooked food and dim sum selection.

If the breakfast was not already included in my hotel room package, I don't think I would fork out the amount simply to eat at The Kitchen Table.

Mookata and Thai steamboats restaurants have been gaining popularity in recent years. With many new names and establishments emerging in the Mookata scene, Charcoal Thai still remains as one of the more successful brands around.

Their outlet at VivoCity was rather well-hidden, I would say. I wouldn't have been able to spot it if not for the huge posters and signs leading to the shopfront all the way from the area in front Daiso.

Charcoal Thai should really invest in a better ventilation system. The weak air-conditioning and lack of proper ventilation left me sweating throughout my meal, with my eyes watering from the steam and smoke from all around, and my entire self stinking of barbecued meat. The close proximity of tables and the uneven ground made it inconvenient for patrons to manoeuvre their way from the buffet area to their dining spots.

Steamboats seem like a healthier choice than Mookata.

We chose Laksa, Chicken and Seafood Broth. The Laksa broth was average at best, for the gravy was thin and slightly too sweet. The Chicken broth was bland and not worth a mention. The only decent tasting one was the Seafood broth.

While waiting for the broth to boil, you could take your pick of the pre-cooked food at their buffet selection. To be honest, the choices provided are rather limited. Out of the meagre selection, my favourite would be their Tom Yum soup and shrimp paste chicken wings. Unfortunately, the shrimp paste chicken runs out extremely quickly and the staff would not refill the dishes, until a customer requests for them to do so specifically.

They had a seafood selection with mussels, prawns, dory, flower crabs, fish balls, squid and crabmeat sticks. As with the refilling incident mentioned previously, no one came to replenish the depleted supply of prawns.

The meat selection with chicken, pork, beef, hotdogs and more.

There was also a vegetable, shrooms and noodles selection area.

Their variety of food available for Steamboat/Mookata was satisfactory, but they had no signature dish or specialty to make Charcoal Thai stand out from among its competitors

Drinks were chargeable, and even plain water was $1.00 per cup (refillable).

It was a filling meal, but nothing impressive overall. Expected price per pax would be around 25SGD. (Promotional prices available for students, NS men and senior citizens.) Would I return again? Highly unlikely.

Busy schedules and conflicting times scrapped my family's initial plans for an overseas holiday, so we had to settle for Plan B, a staycation for my 20th birthday at W Hotel Singapore.

W Hotel totally puts the 'W' in WOW.

Located in Sentosa Cove, by the picturesque Quayside Isle, simply being there gets you in such a holiday mood you don't even feel like you're in Singapore at all.

The drop off point.

Once you enter the glass doors, you'll be greeted by this glowing sight.

Intimidated by the long flight of stairs? Fret not. There's a bubble lift (complete with a bench for you to sit on) that will take you from level 1 to the main lobby at level 2.

The lights strangely remind me of the floating candles in Hogwart's Great Hall.

Can I already declare my love for the hotel's chic interior design and gorgeous furniture?

The cushy seats are perfect to pose on. :)

The Reception counter.

While waiting, you could even grab a drink from their refreshments table, complete with coffee and TWG tea! (The coffee and tea were only there for a certain time, so I suppose it was for an event that evening.)

Otherwise, you can always head over to their Woo Bar for a cocktail or some other beverage.

The lift lobby.

W Hotel's lifts will only offer access to the basement, and levels 1 and 2 for all. Access to other levels will require you to tap your room key on the sensor.

That's a really humongous dog.

The corridor.

The other end of the corridor even had a sofa in front of the window offering a view of the quay with all the private yatchs of the Cove's residents.

We entered the room to find a hand behind the door.

This creeped me out a little, but it was a cool touch to the room's design.

Look! I have a new moustache now!

The Wonderful Room.

It's spacious and (pardon my pun) roomy.

The toilet.

There's a tub area and a rain shower area. The frosted glass windows can be slid open though (for those who want to watch TV while using the toilet? HAHA)

I love sitting by the window seat to people-watch. :)

(Honestly I had no idea what I was trying to do with that cushion then.)

Hello froggie.

Artsy vibes.

There is complimentary drinking water for guests.

All these and the food/drinks in the mini bar are chargeable.

I found it interesting that the room had various lightings for different occasions.

This was supposed to be "Flirt". No cookies for guessing correctly who it appeals to. ;)

There's also "Hello", "Escape" and "Runway", if I remember correctly. Anyway, I had a fun time entertaining myself switching among all the themed lightings.

A cool cube.

The view from our room.

TWG TEA! I literally squealed with delight when I saw that they provided TWG tea. I ABSOLUTELY ADORE their tea flavours.

The hotel staff knew that I was celebrating my birthday there and gave me a voucher for me to redeem my complimentary cake from Woo Bar.

Rainbow sprinkle rainbow cake!

That is some really impressive service standards. I was so touched.

I didn't want to neglect my workouts during this staycay, especially when I'm already having so many cheat meals, so I headed down to level 1 for my gymming session.

Spotted this cute hanging chair.

The resting area in front of the gym and spa.

The interior was rather futuristic-looking. I had the gym all to myself that day. I couldn't exactly comment much on the gym equipment since all I ever use would be the treadmill, elliptical, rowing machine and stationary bike. I am a total weights noob. I didn't see any rowing machines around though. :(

At least I was entertained enough by the touch screen TVs on the equipments. The shows kept my mind off the distance meter...

The gym also has personal trainers on hand for you to seek help from.

YAY for self-discipline and perseverance! I managed to push my unfit self to complete one hour of workout.

By the pool.

It's nice to just chill by the pool and gently swing on the hammock. Do remember to bring along insect repellant, or you'll end up feeding the mozzies like me. >___<

Time for an evening dip!

I managed to get hold of the highly popular floating bean bag!

The pool is magical at night, with their brilliantly-lit seats by the pool-side bar.

There are simply too many photo-worthy moments during this staycay.

Morning strolls by the quay is comfortably relaxing.

Just look at the cyan-blue waters. :)

My pictures don't do justice to the full extent of W Hotel's beauty. I would say that it was one of the best staycations I've experienced.